Readers Mailbag
January 23, 2005
Coalition for Health Options In Central Eugene-Springfield (CHOICES)

Dear CHOICES members and other subscribers,

We've received a lot of mail in response to our recent spoof, "Springfield Pulls Surprise, Denies PeaceHealth" and our subsequent "Mea Culpa." Below we reproduce this mail, with names left out to protect the privacy of our readers.

As a reminder, anyone is welcome to send comments directly to our subscribers by sending email to:

choices-l@efn.org

The list is moderated to block spam, postings that are off-topic and too much email to our subscribers. But we otherwise don't censure any views readers want to share.

For CHOICES,
Rob Zako, Editor
343-5201
rzako@efn.org

P.S. If we get the resources to do so, it would make sense to host a discussion forum on our web site. It would also make sense to turn our weekly editorials into a web log (blog) and our weekly digest of news into a Really Simple Syndication (RSS) news feed. More thoughts later on possibilities for the future of "Health Options Digest"...

READERS MAILBAG

Loved the spoof... but nope, I am not holding my breath. Do I hope... for so many hurdles... that Apocalypse Now... has to eventually, drag it's raggy-arse... elsewhere... oh yeah. Of course... I still remember... the Mayflower... says she sourly... and I know... I have brought that up before... sigh. :)

Terrific, wonderful, magnificent. Thanks...

I'm still laughing my head off. Have you thought about a career in comedy writing? I hope you don't get fired. On the other hand, you might get fired and have to move to Hollywood to start a new career.

Nice job of putting forth some potential points of agreement and pointing out some of the potential harm available in the hospital collision course (you can re-use that phrase, but I get 10 percent of royalties). You talk about the cities working together for the betterment of the entire metropolitan community and you offer ways to make it happen. All it requires is for several people to totally come out of their roles, have a collective change of heart, drop the defensive stance, study elementary urban land-use planning, and start listening to each other. On second thought, maybe you guys had better file that appeal, just in case. (Is this whole thing really predicated on a handshake between the late Councilor Hatfield and the former local CEO?) Question for alert theorists: Why didn't the city buy this land from the Richard Boyles family (and its company, Sycan B), which had assembled much of it before Gang of $9 million arrived? They were ready to sell starting in about 1995, I believe. Again, nice job.

Well, sometimes the risk of sticking your neck out is that there are plenty of axes ready to let you know your risk! Anyway, I love your work.

Why don't you make up someone, instead of being a real person?

Someone who works at the Lane County Planning... must have the exact time frame... when Sacred Gatherings... made the purchase of said property... and then how long... between the purchase of Mayflower area... and the event... demolition. I wish I was well versed in the legal steps... as they unfolded... but I'm not. Certainly there will be others who live in and around the Eugene area... who can 'fine tune'... that sad situation. Thanks much... stay strong.

I heard a rumor that Alan Yordy is going to go to work for Triad and that he was really at a Triad interview at their home office when he was supposedly in El Salvador. Bob Keefer told me this, but we all know how unreliable he is these days. So, it's just a rumor. Peace and Health...

I have not seen the paper and I get this! Man I wish it were true... But this is a joke, right? Carry on and keep me posted.

You are the best. The only prophetic voice in our community.

Found your way into an alternative universe, I see. I like it better than this one.

Pretty good...

That's great!

Rob - I love your story - I will call Bob Keefer first thing in the morning and congratulate him on telling it like it should be.

Hysterical -- and makes a ton of sense. If you send it to Mayor Leiken, you might want to correct the paragraph where Musumeci sheds a tear, and you refer to Mayor Hatfield...

Man O man... you really got me on this one... I was wholly flabbergasted. What a "gotcha"!!! Thanks for the smile... what a happy ending that would be!

You are gem. I vote for you for King of Two Rivers Country. But if you aren't into royalty, I nominate you for Publisher of the Register-Guard instead. I'm sure Mr. M will follow my advice and give you the job... as soon as his purchase of the paper closes.

If you called it Fox News Health Options Digest, you wouldn't have to worry about admitting reporting facts incorrectly. Thanks for all your diligence. It must be a lot easier to do newsletters for idiots that will believe anything than people actually paying attention.

Seems this has happened twice, the Barry thing before. I think you could probably avoid the problems by putting a line before your article that it is satire or fiction or in jest or whatever. You did it at the end, but at the beginning might be worthwhile. Anyway, I enjoyed it.

Sigh... When will you ever learn? First Dave Barry, now this. Anyhow, for the record, I hadn't yet read the paper when I read your piece, and it was so well done that I was believing it for the first few paragraphs.

In between tweakin' the whiskers' of the PMS'ee Weasels and Medical-Ferrets... please manage to produce about 10 to 12 offspring... that will be brought up in your 'mold'... and look out for all of us... who haven't the wit to protect ourselves... from un-natural disasters.

While you are busy culpa-ing you might want to check out http://www.arlie.com/eweb

This is the sort of column that a Mike Royko/Don Bishoff could have written. If only.

Maybe you should just not "report" as a real person...

Again, I applaud... absolutely hysterical. Keep up the good work... I have followed the saga of the "musical hospitals", and the like, within the local development industry through your emails and, as always, find your newsletters incredibly informative with a wonderful sense of humor, without diminishing the importance of the issues. I have come to rely on them as my preferred choice of information on the topics, as I have little energy to dedicate to mucking through the media. Your efforts are appreciated more than you know.

Good job on the story and the mea culpa.

I did read the piece and thought it might cause a few waves, especially the "Bob Keefer" part. It was very good and something I hope the 'more established' (or more entrenched) folks 'got'.